Easy Popcorn Balls

INGREDIENTS

20 cups plain popped popcorn (3-4 bags)

3/4 cup light corn syrup

1/4 cup butter

2 teaspoons cold water

2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

12 large marshmallows

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large saucepan over medium heat combine corn syrup, cold water, confectioners' sugar, and marshmallows. Heat until the mixture comes to a boil, stirring constantly. Add in the popcorn and stir well to coat all of the popcorn.

2. Grease hands with vegetable shortening and shape into balls before it cools. Be careful, it can be HOT!

Cupid clusters

I was reading Parents Magazine last month when I came across this recipe. I knew right then and there I had to make this for Brandon's Valentines party. The recipe calls for the Strawberry yogurt Cheerios and dried strawberries. However, there is a boy in the class allergic to strawberries so I also bought some vanilla yogurt Cheerios (and made his in a separate bowl), and subbed out strawberries for cherry craisins. They are SO GOOD!

Ingredients

• 3 cups Yogurt-Burst Cheerios
  
• 1/2 cup cherry Craisins
  
• 1-1/2 cups white chocolate chips

Directions

1. Place paper liners in 24 mini muffin cups. Toss the cereal and Craisins in a medium bowl. Melt the white chocolate in a microwave on high for a minute, stirring it frequently. Combine with the cereal and Craisin mixture. Spoon into prepared cups and refrigerate until the clusters are firm, about 5 minutes.

Mine aren't as pretty but they sure taste damn good!

Printable version, click to enlarge

Turkey and Rice Soup

INGREDIENTS
12 cups turkey or chicken stock

5 cups cooked turkey

1 onion, diced

5 garlic cloves, minced

5 stalks of celery, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

1 cup wild rice, uncooked

1 cup white rice, uncooked

olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon sage

1/4 teaspoon thyme

1/4 teaspoon rosemary

DIRECTIONS.

1. Coat the bottom of a large pot with olive oil. Saute the onions and garlic about 2-5 minutes, until the onions are translucent. Add the celery and carrots, cook about 2-5 minutes stirring constantly. Stir in spices.

2. Add turkey, stock and rice. Simmer over medium low heat for about an hour, or until the rice is cooked and the vegetables are tender.

Roasted Beef Tenderloin

This is another one from Pioneer Woman. Her recipe was Lawrys season salt, Lemon Pepper, and pepper corns. I didn't have the lemon pepper so I created my own recipe. Mine is as follows.

1- 5 pound beef tenderloin
2- Tbsp Lawry's Season Salt
1- Tbsp house seasoning (I actually used a poultry seasoning with garlic, onion, pepper etc)
1- Tsp McCromicks Grill Seasoning Spicy
2- Tsp fresh cracked pepper
1- stick of butter cut into tbsp pieces
3- Tbsp olive oil

Preheat oven to 475. Combine dry seasonings in bowl. Heat skillet over medium high heat. Add oil and 1/4 stick of butter until butter starts to brown. Season beef on both sides. Make sure you rub it all in and use the entire amount. Place beef in skillet for about two minutes per side until it starts to brown. Remove beef from skillet and place it on a roasting pan. Top with remaining slices of butter. Using an oven safe thermometer place it into the center most fatty portion of the beef. Place it in the oven and cook until about 136. This will make your meet medium rare in the middle and medium well to well on the ends. That is what makes this such a great family meal, the ability to offer meat with a variety of doneness. I allowed the beef to rest about ten minutes and then cut into it. The beef was so tender I hardly had to try to cut it. My husband didn't do much talking but as you can see from the picture below he LOVED IT.

Creamy herbed potatoes

Earlier in the week I discovered Pioneer Woman Cooks. While browsing her archives I had about 15 photo related orgasms. Finally I decided to try out some of her stuff. I made 3 of her things and this is the first.

Creamy herbed potatoes. They killed me y'all. They were so good and the only problem I could see was the fact that she didn't put a warning about how you shouldn't eat it all while it is cooking or you won't have dinner.

I followed her recipe almost exact except I added one clove of shredded garlic. If I had it all to do again I would probably lower the amount of sage I put in because I think I actually did about 2 tsp instead of 1 tsp.

Pioneer Woman's recipe is as follows

PW’s Creamy Herbed Potatoes

4 to 5 russet potatoes
1 stick (1/4 pound) butter
1 medium onion, finely diced
8 ounces cream cheese
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 cup whole milk (half & half works, too)
1 teaspoon finely chopped rosemary
1 teaspoon finely chopped parsley
1 teaspoon finely chopped chives
1/2 teaspoon finely chopped sage

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Slice potatoes very thinly.
Add butter to a large skillet over medium low heat, When melted, add diced onion. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add cream cheese to the pan and stir to melt.
Pour in cream and milk, stirring to combine.
Season with plenty of salt and pepper, then add chopped herbs.
Place potatoes in a buttered baking dish. Pour contents of skillet over the top.
Top with Parmesan cheese and bake for 45 minutes, or until bubby and…bubby. Allow potatoes to sit 15 minutes before serving.

I PERSONALLY LIKED IT WITH THE ONE CLOVE OF GARLIC! I used a mandolin to cut the potatoes, which she also does. I think you could do this with a knife but it would be harder. You can get a cheap functional mandolin for about $30.00 at Williams Sonoma or even Walmart.

Shannons holiday prime rib

Yeah yeah I made two of these suckers this weekend and I have zero pictures...hush. They were beautiful though, nuff said!

1 Seven Pound prime beef rib roast
Olive oil
Fresh thyme leaves chopped
Rosemary fresh chopped
Salt and Pepper
Roasting Pan
6 cloves garlic chopped

*Remove your meat from the refrigerator at least 1 hour before cooking it, so it reaches room temperature.
*Preheat oven to 475
*Put the roast, fat side up
*Rub olive oil all over the roast and cover it with chopped thyme, rosemary and garlic. Poke holes and add remaining smashed garlic cloves
Generously season the entire roast with salt and pepper.
*Roast uncovered, in the middle of the oven for 30 minutes (DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN DURING THIS TIME!!)
*Reduce heat to 300 degrees and tent the roast. The roast is done when the thermometer reads 120 degrees.
* Remove the meat from the oven and allow it to rest for at least 10 minutes and no more than 20. Carve the meat and serve your perfect roast.

Turkey gravy that will knock your socks off

I must be drunk on coffee right now because as a general rule of thumb I sooo don't give out my super uber awesome recipes because then you know, you might out do me or something, but this shit is so good you get to have it so, yeah, here, next year go be a star!

1- bag of turkey ummm innards
1- turkey neck
1- box chicken stock
5- chicken bouillon cubes
11- cups water
about 1/4 cup turkey drippings, the fatty ones
2/3's cup flour
1 stick butter
lotta pepper
pinch salt

Pour about 6 cups of water in a pan over medium high heat (high enough for a small boil) add innards and neck and bouillon cubes and some pepper. Boil until liquid reduces by half and add in half of chicken stock. Continue boiling until you've used all the stock. At the end I start adding a cup of water here and there so I keep a decent amount of gravy I think I made about 8-10 cups total (this is never enough, in my house there is never enough gravy). Anyway I basically cook this for as long as I cook the turkey. After the first two hours I just let it simmer and add broth or water as it evaporates. Right before the turkey is done I strain out all the parts and leave in the tiny bits. I pour the liquid into a bowl and over high heat I melt the butter and combine it with the fatty drippings, then I add in the flour making a roux. I whisk that until it turns a golden brown and pour the gravy liquid back in and whisk on high heat with remaining pepper and salt until it boils and starts to thicken. Then I reduce to low and keep stirring until serving time. If it is too thin I pour it back out and make a second roux. If it is too thick I keep about a cup of stock left over to thin it out with.

This shit will blow your mind!

My stuffing recipe

1 Pack large Italian Sausages (mild) (I actually use hot but a lot of people whine about that)
1 box seasoned stuffing (with out mix)
1 white onion, chopped
Garlic chopped
Carrots to taste
Bunch of celery chopped
5 cans chicken broth
1 stick of butter
Olive oil

* Remove the casing from the sausage and separate into pan
* In a large saucepan over medium heat, add olive oil, brown the sausages until still just pink inside. Be careful not to overcook. Discard oil and put sausage aside.
* In another saucepan, melt 1/2 stick of butter. Add carrots, salt and pepper. Cook till carrots soften.
* Add onion, celery and garlic and cook until all is soft.
* Add one can of chicken broth
*Allow meat and veggies to cool.
* Place the stuffing mix in a large bowl and slowly and gently add the sausage/veggie mix. Do not over-mix or the stuffing will turn mushy. If the stuffing seems dry, add more chicken broth.
* Place the stuffing mix in baking pan.
Bake for 45 minutes. If stuffing is still too moist, continue cooking. If it's too dry, add some chicken broth and cook until satisfied. Uncover and cook for 5 min to crisp top.

This can be made vegetarian by substituting vegetable broth for chicken broth and eliminating the sausage. You will need more broth since you will not have the fat from the sausage.